Kailu Hayashi - The late afternoon sun was milky and fading fast; wind and snow stealing detail from light and shadow. The crumbling keep beneath my feet was slick with snow. A blanket of white over the ruins had a frosted over a temporary stillness. When she first appeared from the feted depths of the flooded keep, it was Tagaern that earned her ire. He was held fast on the stairs by some kind of shadow-magic trap. Kai was there too, father’s blade in his hands. The two warriors did not shrink from the beast.
I had been astride the Kirin when we first entered, Sorakara deposited me here atop the ruined wall as my presence on his back became a liability to his ability to fight. From here I watched it all unfold.
The leather devil had healed from its earlier fight with Lady Goshu and the guardian Sorakara. It was Danin that noticed it first. The magic in the Dragon’s crown was somehow tied to the throne that sat unattended in the old keep. Floki was the first to respond. From his own place atop the crumbling keep he dropped onto the floor near the throne. Shouldering his bow and drawing an axe from his belt, he began whittling away at the ancient chair. The air around him crackled with thunder and flashes of light. Somehow he managed to dodge the deadly arcs of lighting. The crack of bullet fire had not chased away the dragon, but the scaly widow reacted now to Floki’s assault on the chair.
Sensei’s training echoed in my mind, do not focus on the target, focus on your technique and the arrow will find its way. Six arrows, blessed with oil made from Sorrow’s Tears. The first two arrows slid between the creature’s scales tearing muscle and draining precious blood. My arrows did not draw her to me, instead Floki was her target. The two of them now shared the ledge that supported the throne. A darkness fell over them as Sorakara entered the melee, no doubt the darkness was another of the baleful beast’s powers.
Three, four. More arrows into the dragon.
My elven mother’s blood gave me sight into the darkness. Floki danced with the dragon in the narrow confines of the keep. Cornered, but for a narrow doorway. Ducking and dodging, he slipped the noose of her deadly attentions finding his way out onto a small courtyard near the moat.
Five, six. The last of the blessed arrows found their mark.
She moved with preternatural speed up and over the crumbling wall and out into the courtyard. In my head I continued to receive chatter as each member of the assault party shared their view of the battle.
Master Goshu had found his wife and was aiding her retreat.
Tenner was helping a city guard to escape the keep and find relative safety in the bailey.
Kai, now free of the dragon’s attention aided in speeding Saretha’s rescue.
Tagaern unable to reach the dragon was attempting to pul another captive from the freezing waters of the flooded keep.
Bromm continued to punctuate the assault with his fiery pistols.
We had exerted all our energies into destroying the winged beast and still she persisted. I was dizzy from the effort to land each arrow. The well upon which I drew was running low and I knew that was true for all of us. We would need to harness our remaining resolve to end this encounter. Finding the reserves deep within each of us that are seldom tapped into.
My arrows were having little effect now that the oil was used up. Floki’s luck had run out and now his faithful wolf carried his corpse. Our assault was unravelling. Danin and The elder samurai fought in the shadow of the dragon. At that distance there would be little room for error. Little time to land a blow.
I felt useless.
I had to find a way to help and soon or we would end our days here in the snow ruin.
